Effect of Additives on Making Texture Surface on Multicrystalline Silicon Wafer by Diamond Wire Sawing

Silicon - In the production of multicrystalline silicon solar cell, diamond wire sawing method (DWS) is an important technique, which has already completely replaced multiwire slurry sawing (MWSS)...     

Synthesis,Structure, and Performance of Efficient Red Phosphor LiNaGe4O9:Mn4+ and Its Application in Warm WLEDs

For phosphor‐converted warm white light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs), it is essential to find highly efficient red oxide phosphors, which are better chemically stable and benign to environment and can be prepared in a much milder condition. Here, we report a red phosphor LiNaGe₄O₉:Mn⁴⁺ with a quantum yield up to 78% after systematic optimization in synthesis temperature, dopant concentration of Mn⁴⁺, and sintering time. Best performance of the phosphor can be reached when it is synthesized in a mild reaction condition, that is, at 850°C for 3 h in air. The integrated emission intensity is more than four times stronger than commercial red phosphor 3.5MgO·0.5MgF₂·GeO₂:Mn⁴⁺ (MFG:Mn⁴⁺) under a blue light excitation at 470 nm. Crystal structural analysis reveals that the high efficiency Mn⁴⁺ exhibits in the compound is mainly due to the well separation of GeO₆ groups from each other by GeO₄ tetrahedra in the neighborhood and the ideal substitution of octahedral Ge⁴⁺ site by Mn⁴⁺ in view of both size and charge matches. The high performance of the phosphor encourages us to apply the blue absorbing red phosphor to WLED, which is based on combination of a blue LED chip and YAG:Ce³⁺, and the warm perception WLED is therefore achieved with a color temperature of 3353 K.     

New Natural Pigment Fraction Isolated from Saw Palmetto: Potential for Adjuvant Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

For the first time, we discovered a small proportion of aqueous fraction from Saw Palmetto apart from the fatty acid-rich fraction exhibited pharmacological activity. Therefore, this study aims to explore the anti-tumor potential of red pigmented aqueous fraction of Saw Palmetto, NYG on human hepatocellular carcinoma and its possible targets. Subcutaneous xenograft and orthotopic implantation models of HCC were used to evaluate the tumor inhibitory effect of NYG. Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were used as in vitro model. The mRNA expression was conducted by qPCR. Protein expression was monitored by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Cell migration and blood vessel formation were determined by chamber assay and tube formation assay, respectively. Significant tumor inhibition of NYG in dose-dependent manner was observed on subcutaneous xenograft and orthotopic HCC model. NYG has no direct action on cell viability or VEGF secretion of HCC cells. However, NYG reduced in vitro migration and vessel formation activities of HUVEC cells, as well as in vivo intratumoral neovascularization. NYG attenuated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) activation in endothelial cells, which may be associated with the suppression of migration and tube formation of HUVEC. NYG suppressed tumor expansion of HCC via inhibiting neovascularization, and may be potential adjuvant treatment for HCC.     

MicroRNA-155 Mediates Augmented CD40 Expression in Bone Marrow Derived Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Symptomatic Lupus-Prone NZB/W F1 Mice

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multi-organ autoimmune disease characterized by hyperactivated immune responses to self-antigens and persistent systemic inflammation. Previously, we reported abnormalities in circulating and bone marrow (BM)-derived plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) from SLE patients. Here, we aim to seek for potential regulators that mediate functional aberrations of pDCs in SLE. BM-derived pDCs from NZB/W F1 mice before and after the disease onset were compared for toll-like receptor (TLR) induced responses and microRNA profile changes. While pDCs derived from symptomatic mice were phenotypically comparable to pre-symptomatic ones, functionally they exhibited hypersensitivity to TLR7 but not TLR9 stimulation, as represented by the elevated upregulation of CD40, CD86 and MHC class II molecules upon R837 stimulation. Upregulated induction of miR-155 in symptomatic pDCs following TLR7 stimulation was observed. Transfection of miR-155 mimics in pre-symptomatic pDCs induced an augmented expression of Cd40, which is consistent with the increased CD40 expression in symptomatic pDCs. Overall, our results provide evidence for miR-155-mediated regulation in pDC functional abnormalities in SLE. Findings from this study contribute to a better understanding of SLE pathogenesis and ignite future interests in evaluating the molecular regulation in autoimmunity.     

Copper‐Catalyzed or ‐Mediated C?H Bond Functionalizations Assisted by Bidentate Directing Groups

Copper salts, which are abundant, relatively inexpensive and possess low toxicity, have long been used as versatile catalysts for various reactions in organic synthesis. Recently, the development of Cu‐catalyzed or ‐mediated C H functionalization reactions has gained significant attention. Since the pioneering work of Daugulis on the introduction of 8‐aminoquinoline and picolinic acid auxiliaries as removable directing groups in transition metal‐catalyzed C H bond activations, the combination of copper salts with these bidentate directing groups has emerged as an innovative strategy for the construction of carbon‐carbon or carbon‐heteroatom bonds through C H bond cleavage. In addition to the 8‐aminoquinoline and picolinamide systems, several other bidentate directing groups including the 2‐aminophenyloxazoline group by Yu and Dai and the PIP system by Shi, have been developed as well. This review intends to cover most of the recent advances on copper‐catalyzed or ‐mediated direct sp² and sp³ C H bond functionalizations assisted by these bidentate directing groups. The major achievements in this area are discussed and catalogued by the type of bonds formed (C C, C O, C N, C S, C P etc.). Special attention is paid to the reaction mechanisms. Selected examples of substrates are listed as well. In addition, a personal outlook is given at the end.

     

Highly efficient subnanometer Ru-based catalyst for ammonia synthesis via an associative mechanism

The industrial manufacture of ammonia (NH₃) using Fe-based catalyst works under rigorous conditions. For the goal of carbon-neutrality, it is highly desired to develop advanced catalyst for NH₃ synthesis at mild conditions to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. However, the main challenge of NH₃ synthesis at mild conditions lies in the dissociation of steady NN triple bond. In this work, we report the design of subnanometer Ru clusters (0.8 nm) anchored on the hollow N-doped carbon spheres catalyst (Ru-SNCs), which effectively promotes the NH₃ synthesis at mild conditions via an associative route. The NH₃ synthesis rate over Ru-SNCs (0.49% (mass) Ru) reaches up to 11.7 mmol NH₃·(g cat)^-1·h^-1 at 400 ℃ and 3 MPa, which is superior to that of 8.3 mmol NH₃·(g cat)^-1·h^-1 over Ru nanoparticle catalyst (1.20% (mass) Ru). Various characterizations show that the N₂H₄ species are the main intermediates for NH₃ synthesis on Ru-SNCs catalyst. It demonstrates that Ru-SNCs catalyst can follow an associative route for N₂ activation, which circumvents the direct dissociation of N₂ and results in highly efficient NH₃ synthesis at mild conditions.     

Aqueous-based,high-density nanoporous carbon xerogels with high specific surface area for supercapacitors

Journal of Porous Materials - Electrode materials with high density for assembling supercapacitors with high volumetric capacitance are urgently needed. Herein, nanoporous carbon xerogels (NPCXs)...     

Fabrication and characterization of hierarchical porous Ni2+ doped hydroxyapatite microspheres and their enhanced protein adsorption capacity

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is a common bio-adsorbent, which performance depends heavily upon its morphology and microporous structure. In this study, a novel synthesis strategy was proposed for hierarchical porous HAP microspheres by a simple “one-pot” hydrothermal reaction. In the strategy, L-glutamic acid serves as soft template to modulate the morphology and inner crystalline of HAP. To evaluate the application potential, doping Ni²⁺ on hierarchical porous HAP microspheres gives metal chelated affinity adsorbents. The prepared adsorbents show a perfect spherical shape, particles size of 96.6 μm, relatively specific surface area of 48.5 m²·g^-1 and hierarchical pores (mesopores: 4 nm and macropores: 53 nm). By the adsorption evaluation, it reveals that the Ni²⁺-HAP adsorbents have high adsorption capacities of 275.11 and 97.55 m²·g^-1 for hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin, respectively, which is comparable to other similar adsorbent. Therefore, this work provides a promising method for high-efficiency hydroxyapatite microspheres for proteins purification.     

Solvent-free partial oxidation of cyclohexane to KA oil over hydrotalcite-derived Cu-MgAlO mixed metal oxides

A highly efficient and stable hydrotalcite-derived Cu-MgAlO catalyst was developed for the partial oxidation of cyclohexane with molecular oxygen. The physical-chemical properties of Cu-MgAlO catalysts were studied, and the results indicated that the copper component had been successfully introduced into the hydrotalcite unit layer structure. The catalytic reaction results showed that copper as the active species could activate C-H bond and effectively promote the decomposition of cyclohexyl hydroperoxide (CHHP) to the mixture of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone (KA oil). 8.3% of cyclohexane conversion and 82.9% of selectivity for KA oil were obtained over 9%Cu-MgAlO catalyst at 150℃ with 0.6 MPa of oxygen pressure for 2 h. Especially, its catalytic performance was still stable after five runs.     

Light-responsive adsorbents with tunable adsorbent-adsorbate interactions for selective CO2 capture

Amines in porous materials have been employed as active species for the selective CO₂ adsorption from natural gas because of their target-specific interactions. Nevertheless, it is difficult to modulate such strong interactions to reach a high efficiency in the adsorption processes. Herein, we fabricated light-responsive adsorbents with tunable adsorbent-adsorbate interactions for CO₂ capture. The adsorbents were synthesized by introducing primary and secondary amines into a mesoporous silica that had been grafted with azobenzene groups on the surfaces. The target-specific amine sites render the adsorbents significantly selective in the uptake of CO₂ over CH₄, and the azobenzene groups were used as light-responsive switches to influence the adsorbent-adsorbate interactions. The adsorbents can freely adsorb CO₂ when the azobenzene groups are in the trans state. Ultraviolet-light irradiation makes the azobenzene groups transform to the cis configuration, which greatly hinders amines in the uptake of CO₂. The caused difference of adsorption capacity can reach 34.9%. The alternative irradiation by ultraviolet- and visible-light can lead to a recyclable regulation on adsorption performance. The changes of the electrostatic potentials of amines are responsible for the light-induced regulation on adsorption.